Mathematics—An Illustrated History of Numbers: Ponderables—100 Breakthroughs that Changed History—Who Did What When

From the practical invention of the abacus to the mathematical inventions of zero, pi, and algebra; from the teasing genius of Pierre de Fermat, who said he knew the answers but rarely gave them up, to the fractal pattern discovered by Waclaw Sierpinski, now used to plan the route a mailman takes, Mathematics chronicles the development of this intensely rigorous discipline. Here are 100 stories of significant advances in human knowledge with anecdotes, sidebars, and captioned illustrations—an ideal introduction to mathematics for readers 12 to adult. Along with a 101 course in the essential aspects of the science, a who's who of important thinkers, and a number of "imponderables" describing unsolved mysteries, the book features a glossy, accordion-folded pullout timeline (beautifully illustrated and more than eight feet long) that shows milestones in the field in the context of general scientific knowledge, history, and culture.